Various types of parts treating machines are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,791 to Sadwith shows a parts cleaning machine that includes a platform rotatable in a housing, with parts to be cleaned supported on the platform and with a plurality of nozzles positioned in the housing for spraying streams of water on the articles to produce a scrubbing, scouring, or lifting effect on dirt and foreign matter present on the articles or parts being washed. Since the parts to be cleaned are stationary on the platform, cleaning of irregular shaped parts is sometimes difficult and a relatively large number of spray nozzles and a relatively large volume of cleaning solution or wash solution is need to try to reach and clean all surfaces of the parts to be cleaned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,500 to Diamond shows a combustion chamber cleaning machine including a revolvable main turntable having a plurality of individual minor turntables for supporting the combustion cylinders and rotating them. The drives and controls for the main turntable and the minor turntables are relatively complex and costly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,985 to Smith shows a programmable apparatus for cleaning semiconductor parts which includes a chuck mounted on a rotation mechanism rotatable around a first axis and the element to be cleaned rotates around a second axis spaced from the first axis in a planetary member. The drives for the main turntable and the minor turntables are subject to contamination because of their location in the cleaning chamber.
In multi-stage rotary washers, parts are transported along a circular path. After a part is loaded in the housing of the rotary washer, the parts transfer mechanism indexes the part into the first station of the rotary washer. Each successive index transports the part to the next station. Eventually, after passing through each of the processing stages, the part arrives at the unload station, where it is removed from the rotary washer. The transfer mechanism rotates about a single axis. Because of this, spray and blow-off nozzles, which are used to clean, rinse and dry, respectively, have to be positioned in numerous locations throughout the processing stages.
The known multi-stage rotary washers have several drawbacks. The equipment footprint is large, that is, the rotary washer occupies considerable floor space, and the parts transport mechanisms are complex.
The present invention provides an improved parts transfer mechanism which obviates deficiencies and disadvantages of prior art parts treating machines.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent in the description which follows.